Thursday, 24 September 2015

蘋果肉桂杏仁蛋糕 Apple and Cinnamon Almond Cake

昨天九月二十三日，是農曆的秋分，也是西曆秋至。正式告別了夏日，開始用期盼的心情去迎接逐漸轉涼的季候，和一個比一個溫暖熱閙的中西節慶。

It was 23rd September yesterday, also the autumn equinox on both eastern and western calendar. As we bid farewell to summer, we begin to welcome in the colder seasons, looking forward to all of the exciting celebrations and festivals which are just around the corner.

Before this year's harvest festival, we had our first ever apple harvest. Although we haven't picked many apples so far, my life long desire of having my own apple tree has finally become a reality. Even though I'd been pleading with my husband long before he eventually gave in and helped me plant my beloved apple trees, I still have him to thank and be grateful for.

To celebrate the end of a productive season filled with hard work, I baked us an apple and cinnamon almond cake as a reward. However, before I had time to capture a few shots of the cake, the daylight began disappearing all too rapidly. I made my poor husband wait until the next day to enjoy a slice of the delicious looking cake, to allow me to take some better photos in the morning light. I didn't even have time to arrange my setup properly, as he was that keen he had brought tea and a knife to the table immediately, so I took the hint and finishing taking pictures very quickly indeed!

To be honest, I didn't want to prolong the wait any longer neither. The combination of apple and cinnamon is one of my favourites. What makes this cake so special is the slowly stewed apple which is folded into the cake mixture. Whilst it's being cooked on the stove, straight away the kitchen is filled with a warm and sweet aroma. and once the cake is baked, it was so soft, moist and scrumptious , you really have to have very good self control to stop yourself from having a second helping.

Enough said, let me share with you this wonderful recipe which can be repeated year after year, especially during this time of the year as the weather is beginning to get colder. I hope you like this recipe and if you bake this for the people you love, I'm sure your friends and family will be delighted to taste such a warm, soft and sweet apple cake!

Make the apple sauce first. Peel, core and thinly slice 3 Braeburn apples and place in a saucepan with the lemon juice and cinnamon stick. Cover and cook gently until the apples are completely soft and have formed a thick sauce. Remove from the heat, discard the cinnamon stick and leave to cool while you make the batter.

Heat the oven to 180C / 350F / Gas 4, place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until thick and pale. Gradually add the eggs, beating continuously until thoroughly incorporated. Sift over the flour, baking powder and cinnamon, add the almonds and fold together. Finally, measure 250g of the cooled apple sauce and fold through until thoroughly combined. Spoon the mixture into the tin and level the surface.

Quarter and core another 3 Braeburn apples and slice each quarter into 3. Arrange the apples in a circle on the outside edge of the cake batter. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. If the top of the cake is browning too quickly, cover with a sheet of foil for the last 10 minutes of baking. ( Or using a different setting : Pre - heat the oven to 160C / 325F / Gas 3. Bake in centre of the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. When you insert a skewer into the cake and it comes out clean, then it's ready. Place a piece of foil on top of the cake half of an hour after it's in the oven.)

Remove the cake to a wire rack to cool. Heat the apricot jam and 1tbsp water in a small saucepan over a medium heat until melted. Brush the surface of the cake liberally with the jam and leave to cool.

The cake will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container. You can serve it as it is warm from the oven, or with a dollop of crème fraîche. If eaten the following day, can be heated up from the microwave for 3-4 minutes, serving with some ice-cream is also recommened.

Reader’s review and Additional information :

Many thanks to a dear reader’s feed back:

“ I made the apple cake tonight, but ended up having to bake it for nearly double amount of the recommended time, very strange. The batter seemed rather thick when the flour was first folded into the mixture, then when apple sauce was added, it was okay.I don’t know if the cooking time has altered the flavour of the cake, but it tasted fruity and not bad. I’m not sure if the texture is how it supposed to be, this cake is too dense to my liking, I prefer textures of cakes like sponge or chiffon cake. I don’t mind trying something different occasionally, personally this cake is too dense for me, can’t have too much. Most importantly, I don’t know if the texture and the taste of the cake are what is expected from a successfully baked cake! ”

I will answer her questions here for anybody who may be interested too :

1 ) I used plain flour instead of my usual choice of self-raising flour for this cake, and with the 250g of apple sauce added into the mixture, the texture of this cake is soft and not very airy, not as light and bouncy as a sponge cake, but that’s expected.

2) I baked my cake with 180C/ 350F / G4 for 45 minutes, the result was as my photos indicated. Since all ovens perform differently, you can try using a different setting to 160C / 325F / Gas 3. Bake in the oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. When you insert a skewer into the cake and it comes out clean, then it's ready.

The texture and taste of this cake is designed to be rather different compared to a sponge cake or a chiffon cake. If you prefer this type of texture, please refer to these two recipes :